Tick-borne dermatologic diseases

Inquiries regarding tick exposure can be important in dermatologic diagnosis and treatment since ticks can be vectors of a diversity of infectious diseases. The classic teaching is that ticks are best removed with nail polish, solvents, petrolatum, mineral oil, or a hot match. However, a recent evaluation of tick removal revealed that mechanical removal with forceps preceded and followed by disinfection is the most effective method. In most cases, should the characteristic dermatologic lesion or systemic symptoms appear, appropriate treatment should be initiated for presumptive diseases.     

Effect of prostaglandin E1 infusion on leukocyte traffic and fibrosis in acute lung injury induced by bleomycin in hamsters.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the iv infusion of prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) could modify the early influx of neutrophils into bleomycin-injured lungs and if that would affect subsequent development of inflammation and fibrosis. BACKGROUND AND METHODS: In vivo controlled animal study performed in a university hospital pulmonary research laboratory. Male Syrian golden hamsters (100- to 110-g body weight) were divided into four treatment groups: a) No treatment; b) intratracheal bleomycin plus PGE1 infusion; c) bleomycin plus saline infusion; d) PGE1 infusion only. PGE1 (180 ng/hr.100 g) or saline were infused iv 3 to 25 hr after intratracheal instillation of bleomycin sulfate (0.5 U/0.5 mL.100 g). Total and differential counts of cells recovered by lavage, lavage fluid protein, and lung total protein and hydroxyproline levels were measured from 6 hr to 30 days later. RESULTS: PGE1 infusion reduced the influx of neutrophils 6 hr after bleomycin injury by 53% compared with saline infusion (p less than .0001), but increased inflammatory cell traffic after 24 hr for 15 days. At 4 days, protein recovered in lung lavage fluid was also decreased in PGE1-treated, bleomycin-injured animals, reflecting reduced injury to lung permeability barriers. Accumulation of lung collagen in the PGE1-treated, bleomycin-instilled hamsters tended to be lower than in the bleomycin-injured, saline-infused group at 15 and 30 days, although these differences did not achieve statistical significance. Despite this fact, greater than 33% of the animals in the PGE1-treated group died, possibly indicating an increased risk of sepsis in these animals. CONCLUSIONS: PGE1 infusion can decrease early neutrophil traffic and reduce injury to the lung permeability barriers. However, this treatment augments late inflammatory events and does not significantly alter the development of fibrosis.     

肾移植受者血清巨细胞病毒IgE和IgA抗体检测

采用间接ＥＬＩＳＡ检测２３名肾移植受者血清巨细胞病毒（ＣＭＶ）抗体，共检出１８名（７８％）活动性ＣＭＶ感染，其中１０名（４４％）为原发性感染。结果证实ＣＭＶ－ＩｇＥ和－ＩｇＡ具有较好的血清学诊断价值，优于ＣＭＶ－ＩｇＭ。     

GGA1 acts as a spatial switch altering amyloid precursor protein trafficking and processing

The beta-amyloid (Abeta) precursor protein (APP) is cleaved sequentially by beta-site of APP-cleaving enzyme (BACE) and gamma-secretase to release the Abeta peptides that accumulate in plaques in Alzheimer's disease (AD). GGA1, a member of the Golgi-localized gamma-ear-containing ARF-binding (GGA) protein family, interacts with BACE and influences its subcellular distribution. We now report that overexpression of GGA1 in cells increased the APP C-terminal fragment resulting from beta-cleavage but surprisingly reduced Abeta. GGA1 confined APP to the Golgi, in which fluorescence resonance energy transfer analyses suggest that the proteins come into close proximity. GGA1 blunted only APP but not notch intracellular domain release. These results suggest that GGA1 prevented APP beta-cleavage products from becoming substrates for gamma-secretase. Direct binding of GGA1 to BACE was not required for these effects, but the integrity of the GAT (GGA1 and TOM) domain of GGA1 was. GGA1 may act as a specific spatial switch influencing APP trafficking and processing, so that APP-GGA1 interactions may have pathophysiological relevance in AD.     

Successful treatment of periungual warts using photodynamic therapy: a pilot study

AIM: The aim of this pilot study was an investigation on photodynamic therapy (PDT) whether it is a good alternative for treating periungual and subungual warts of the hands. STUDY DESIGN: Twenty patients (mean age: 30.5 years) with a total of 40 periungual and subungual warts were treated with PDT. A photosensitizer, 20%delta-aminolevulinic acid was applied on the warts. After a mean incubation time of 4.6 h (SD: 1.2), the warts were irradiated with the VersaLight for 5-30 min (15.2 +/- 4.3 min). RESULTS: After a mean of 4.5 treatments a mean clearance of 100% was achieved in 90% of the patients. One patient (5%) showed a clearance of 50% and another showed no improvement. The subungual or periungual location of the wart had no influence on the number of treatments or end result (P > 0.05). There were two recurrences during the mean follow-up period of 5.9 months (SD: 7.6). Besides mainly pain and hyperpigmentation, most treatments had no side-effects. CONCLUSION: PDT can offer a good alternative for treating periungual warts of the hands. Larger studies are indicated.     

Measurement of Perceived Disruption During Rebuilding Following Hurricane Andrew

The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate a measure of perceived disruption during rebuilding following a disaster. Two eight-item scales, which measured intensity of disruption during the entire repair phase (Intensity-RP) and intensity of disruption during the past month (Intensity-PM) were developed and administered to 135 survivors of Hurricane Andrew. At 9 to 12 months postdisaster, Intensity-RP and Intensity-PM were both significantly associated with scores on the Global Severity Index of the SCL-90-R, and with scores on the Impact of Event-Intrusion Scale; Intensity-PM alone was significantly associated with PTSD scores. Regression analyses indicated that each scale contributed significant unique variance in predicting mental health symptoms, even after controlling for relevant demographic and initial disaster exposure variables.